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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

1905 Graduation Photograph of Noted Artist Charles James Martin, Technical High School at Providence, Rhode Island

1905 graduation photograph of Charles James Martin of Technical High School at Providence, Rhode Island.

The photograph itself is approximately 4" x 3"; the piece mounted is 10" x 7".It was found with 15 similar photographs which appear to be of other graduates of Technical High School, 6 male and 9 female. Most, if not all, were taken by the Edgar K. Horton studio of Providence.

A list of the people in the photographs appears at the end of this post.

Charles James Martin would become a noted artist and teacher of art. Among many others, Georgia O'Keefe and Winston Churchill were admirers of his work. See an account of his life, photographs of him and his family and examples of his work here.

From online research, hopefully correct: [corrections welcome!]Charles James Martin was born 4 July 1886 at Mansfield, England, the son of James and Jane Martin. The family emigrated to the United States about 1887.After Technical High School, Charles studied art at Columbia University Teachers College, where he started teaching in 1914. He was still teaching there when he completed his World War I draft registration card. He also studied art with Arthur Wesley Dow.Charles married fellow art student Esther L. Upton, daughter of Albert and Esther Upton of Michigan. The couple had a son James Upton Martin in 1918. From the 1920s on, the couple spent much of their lives apart, with their son dividing his time between the two.Charles died in 1955 at Hyannis, Massachusetts, and is buried at Providence, Rhode Island.If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, please leave a comment or contact me directly. Thanks!People in the 16 photographs: